I’m back with another edition of my “In the Spotlight” series. Today, I’m interviewing podcast host Nick Berry, host of The Business Owner’s Journey podcast.
I’m so excited to chat with him about his podcast. Everyone, let’s welcome Nick!
Nicole: How did you come by your podcast name, “The Business Owner’s Journey”?
Nick: I actually came up with the “Business Owner’s Journey” probably about 10 years ago for one of my companies that I owned at the time. We provided business coaching for business owners, and I saw all of these businesses hitting the same predictable roadblocks. I created a growth model called The 5 Stages of the Business Owner’s Journey, to give them a roadmap for their path from producer to leader.
There is a clear pattern that we all go through trying to build a business::
- The challenges are predictable.
- Each one requires a different skill or competency.
- Nobody gets to skip a level, even if the order changes.
- Knowing 1-3 in advance is an enormous advantage.
I still use that framework today, and have since built an assessment and curriculum to help guide owners. It’s hard being a business owner, and it can be very lonely. I love helping entrepreneurs learn to navigate their path, whether it’s in the form of a framework, an article, or a podcast.
I’ve gotten a ton of feedback from business owners saying the name instantly clicks for them. “Business Owner’s Journey” tells the truth: there’s more to building a business than the destination, there’s a journey you keep moving through, stage after stage.
Nicole: I love that! It really does click. Why did you decide to start your podcast?
Nick: I’ve always been an entrepreneur first, not so much a podcaster. My work has been building companies and coaching owners. For 20+ years, my mission has been simple: shorten the learning curve for other business owners.
In early 2024, I sold my main company after 15 years. Suddenly, I had space to reflect and figure out what was next. I didn’t want to just default to the same playbook. I realized I would naturally have insightful conversations with other entrepreneurs, leaders, and experts as part of that exploration. So, I decided to record these conversations, and initially I didn’t have any expectations. I thought if others found value, great. If not, no harm done.
Quickly, however, I saw an opportunity to help guests get more lasting value from their appearances than typical podcasts. Now, each episode is designed to be more of a long-term resource for both listeners and guests.
Nicole: It really is a great resource. What have you learned about yourself (and/or others) through your podcast?
Nick: There’s been a constant reminder of the universal importance of having a curated support system for every entrepreneur.
Every guest’s story consistently validates a longstanding philosophy I’ve had and call the “Entrepreneur’s 3 Lifelines“:
– One-on-one individualized guidance from a trusted expert.
– A large community network for diverse perspectives and resources.
– An intimate peer advisory group for focused, confidential support.
The experience has also made it clear to me how much I missed that after selling my last company.
As I’ve said, it’s lonely being a business owner. Most people can’t relate to the things that keep you up at night. And the more successful you are, the bigger your goals are, that number of people gets smaller and smaller. You have to take responsibility for curating your support system. Your support system is going to include more than those 3 lifelines, but my experience has been that everyone’s support system should include them. .
Nicole: I completely agree! It does get isolating as a business owner. How has your podcast evolved since you first started?
Nick: In the early episodes, I leaned into my experience and frameworks – the 5 Stages, the Business Alignment SystemTM, all the resources I’ve built or used in the last 20 years.
Then as I had my epiphany about how much more value podcasts could be getting out of their interviews, that began to take priority. I suppose it was the entrepreneurial sense that there was a problem to be solved. I can’t look the other way when that happens, ha ha. I focused on understanding the problem and studying how it could be addressed.
Now, the podcast prioritizes guests who want to get more value. While audience value is still important, I’ve shifted heavily toward ensuring guests can leverage their appearances far beyond the typical short shelf life. We’ve built out an extensive process on our end that lets us give the guests higher leverage assets.
We’re now intentionally creating episodes that provide value for weeks, months, and years, so they’re getting “more juice for the squeeze”.
Nicole: I think that’s amazing how you’ve leveraged your podcast. What’s been the biggest surprise or challenge you’ve experienced while podcasting?
Nick: My biggest personal challenge has always been talking about myself. I knew when I started the podcast I was going to have to work on my personal brand, which is outside of my comfort zone. But I like to challenge myself in ways like that, so I leaned into it. Though my primary focus is on the guests, creating content about my own experience and accomplishments is essential for authenticity and credibility. People need context about who I am and why I’m credible. Building a “binge library” about myself wasn’t natural, but it’s necessary if people are going to connect and actually benefit from my work.
I know that not sharing these accomplishments would actually be a disservice. Whether from modesty or discomfort – it doesn’t really matter. Holding back prevents potential collaborators or clients from truly understanding how I might help them.
Here’s something I did that was a great exercise and so much fun: before I interviewed one of my guests, Jessica Rhodes, she and I were discussing my story and how I was working on being more forward with it. She’s a seasoned podcast guest and host and a wonderful person, and she offered to come back on the show, take on the ‘guest-host’ role and interview me about my story. We did it, the interview was great, and the episode got a lot of attention because it was unique.
Getting comfortable telling my story continues to be an important growth area for me. Hosting a podcast is a helpful exercise, as is being interviewed.
Nicole: I completely relate to not being able to talk about yourself. What has been your most memorable episode(s) and why?
Being interviewed on my own show, along with two episodes with my wife, Kelly Berry, top the list.
Nick: Kelly and I have been married for 18 years, business partners for 13, and she also has her own podcast, Life Intended. One episode, we swapped lessons learned from our first season of podcasting. Another, we broke down leadership, intentionality, and personal agency, which are topics I love to talk about.
Beyond that, I’ve had so many fantastic guests who are world class at what they do:
- Scott Fay, who started John Maxwell’s leadership program
- Nick Nanton, 22-time Emmy winner.
- Matt Diggity, a top global SEO expert
- John DiJulius, the name in customer and employee experience
- Daniel Wakefield, world-renowned headshot photographer
- Sara Nay (CEO) and John Jantsch (founder), Duct Tape Marketing
And there are so many more. I love hosting conversations with truly remarkable people.
Nicole: What a great list! How do you prepare for each episode?
Nick: I don’t do a lot of prep, but there’s a method to it all.
For myself: I intentionally avoid over-preparing personally. My curiosity is central to the podcast’s conversational style, and I trust that asking natural, authentic questions leads to the most valuable insights. If I’m too familiar with the guest or topic, I can lose the audience’s perspective as my starting point.
For guests: I ensure guests are prepared. They must listen to prior episodes to understand the conversational nature and be ready to engage authentically, without scripted expectations.
From all of the feedback we’ve gotten – and I ask for a lot – guests have been very complimentary of the process. They feel like they are being taken seriously and sharing content that’s being vetted.
Nicole: That’s so important you make people feel so important. If you could have a dream guest on your podcast, who would it be and what would you talk about?
Nick: Honestly, there isn’t a single name at the top of my list. There are just so many people out there doing amazing things that you can talk to.
But to answer the question:
- Gino Wickman, creator of the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS). It would be interesting to talk to him about building EOS, licensing, then franchising. And of course we’d have to talk about aligning strategy and execution.
- Chuck Runyon, founder of Anytime Fitness. I opened one of their earliest locations (around the 32nd ever). It would be fun to talk to him about his journey in scaling a brand globally.
- Rick Kueber, founder of several national franchises including Sun Tan City, who has been both a friend and mentor. He’s a first principles thinker and a great resource to discuss building scalable, sustainable businesses.
All three are business builders who lead by example and have built world-class organizations. If I had them on, I’d dig into how they operationalize alignment, leadership, and scale.
Nicole: Great recommendations! What major accomplishment or milestone have you been most proud of through your podcast?
Nick: I’m proud of building my own personal brand. My entire career before now has been focused exclusively on building company brands and IP. Stepping into the spotlight to share my own story has been new and challenging. I like to do hard things.
Successfully navigating that transition and becoming comfortable with personal visibility has been a meaningful accomplishment for me.
Nicole: That is an accomplishment! Would you like to nominate another podcaster for me to feature in an upcoming interview?
Nick: Absolutely. Kelly Berry hosts the Life Intended podcast, and Suzette Bravo hosts Bravo Unscripted. Kelly (my wife, as I mentioned) does a great job of getting in the mind of the audience and making sure she elicits what they need from the guests. Suzette is a fantastic story teller and guide. Their shows are very different from mine, but they are both so authentic and so good at what they do.
Nicole: Thank you so much for your time!
Everyone, make sure to listen to the The Business Owner’s Journey. It’s a fantastic show to watch if you want to take a step towards better health. Make sure you follow on Apple Podcasts.
You can also learn more about his show or connect with Nick directly!
